Maybe Dying is like Becoming a Butterfly

by Pimm van Hest, Lisa Brandenburg (Illustrator)

Overview

"Straightforward, gentle, useful, and engaging. " - Kirkus Reviews

When Grandpa suggests that a caterpillar might die if Christopher puts it in a jar.

“Are you going to die, Grandpa?”

“Someday, sweetheart. But I hope not too soon.”

Their simple exchange covers a lot of philosophical ground. Grandpa allows that “no one really knows” what happens after death, but he tells Christopher that some people think of heaven (“a place without sadness or war”), others of rebirth (“each time, you get wiser”), and others of “nothing” (“the same as before you were born”). The pair discusses the whys of death (“dying is part of life”), birth (“to learn all sorts of things”), and feelings of fear or comfort about dying.

An important picture book that gives children free rein to express their questions, fears, thoughts, and ideas about death. For children ages 5 and up. Including an epilogue by the grief therapist Rebecca Dabekaussen, with tips on how to discuss this difficult but inevitable subject with children.

• Guided Reading Level O

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605374949
Publisher:	Clavis
Publication date:	10/29/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 11.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Pimm van Hest (1975) was born in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. After having worked as a teacher for one year he started his studies "psychology" when he met his present partner. Soon it became clear they wanted to adopt a child. In 2007 their daughter Moira came into their lives. Moira's arrival was the inspiration for his first book.

Lisa Brandenburg is an illustrator living and working in Amstelveen in the Netherlands. She has a wide range of artistic interests and loves challenge and change. Lisa is curious about, and inspired by, what happens in the world around us. Lisa is married and the proud mother of a son and a daughter.

Interviews

"My name is Pimm van Hest and I like to write special stories about themes that interest me personally. While writing Everywhere and All Around I met Rebecca Dabekaussen. She’s a mourning therapist who helps children who lost someone. Rebecca told me how important it is to teach children how to deal with death at a young age. Make them familiar with death. Make them think, talk, philosophize about it. There are lots of books about the inevitable theme of loss, but unfortunately very few books about the death that’s ahead of us. That’s why I wrote Maybe Dying Is Like Becoming a Butterfly, a story about the intimate, honest and philosophical conversation between a boy and his granddad about dying and other questions that relate to death. The book, which is beautifully illustrated by Lisa Brandenburg, invites parents to talk about death with their children."

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Pimm van Hest's other book I GIVE YOU ME HEART:

"I Give You My Heart can cheer us up when times are too dark. In a very few words, it offers solace, hope, and a lot of light.” ― WornCorners.com

From the Publisher

2019-07-28
A young child and grandfather have a conversation about death.

When Grandpa suggests that a caterpillar might die if Christopher puts it in a jar, Christopher asks some questions about death, beginning with "Are you going to die, Grandpa?" The response: "Someday, sweetheart. But I hope not too soon." The pair, both white, with big heads and small bodies in the cartoonlike illustrations, are walking and playing together in a park. Grandpa is stooped and walks with a cane; Christopher wears yellow boots. Their simple exchange covers a lot of philosophical ground. Grandpa acknowledges no one knows when they will die and that Christopher could die before him, but that the chance is small. Grandpa allows that "no one really knows" what happens after death, but he tells Christopher that some people think of heaven ("a place without sadness or war"), others of rebirth ("each time, you get wiser"), and others of "nothing" ("the same as before you were born"). The pair discusses the whys of death ("dying is part of life"), birth ("to learn all sorts of things"), and feelings of fear or comfort about dying. A concluding letter from Christopher to Grandpa, accompanied by an illustration of Christopher alone, offers the titular analogy about becoming a butterfly. Backmatter offers a brief comment and tips for discussion from a grief therapist.

Straightforward, gentle, useful, and engaging. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

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